Chapter 10

Distant Memories 2 Nightmare

A/N hey guys! Wow its chapter 10 already! So I want to thank for their positive and constructive reviews, and for you continued support with this story. I couldn't do it without you guys! So after the last chapter, I wanted to make this one just as good, so it took me a bit more tie to get my ideas on "paper" (so to speak). Si I hope you enjoy this chapter. Disclaimer I do not own Newsies, just the people you don't know. So onward with the chapter. The title(s) come from a mix of Titanic and Lord of the Dance, and they just fit the chapter contents perfectly, read on to find out what I mean!

Jack burst through the doors of the tavern still carrying the unconscious Nuala. Spot whipped around as soon as he heart the door open and raced over to the two. His face was red with anger and his hands were clenched in two fists so tightly, his knuckles were turning white.

"What da hell happened?!" He half asked half shouted causing the few occupants at the bar to flinch at his harsh voice. Aoife walked over to Spot and gently placed her hand on his arm, smoothing it up and down in an attempt to calm the furious leader.

"Shhh, Liam, try to calm down." She chided.

"Try to calm down!" he yelled pulling away from her. "You try havin your liddle sista get beat up within an inch of her life and see how's you'se is gunna react! You'se don't know nothing alright!"

Seeing the tears form in Aoife's eyes and the hurt expression on her face, caused him to walk bac over to her, this tie placing his own hands on her arms.

"I'm sorry alright? I'm just angry, and overwhelmed and scared." He sad to her. "Okay everybody, we'se is goin back to da warehouse. We'll talk dere. Now, lets go!" he ordered and in an instant they were walking back to the warehouse.

Ryder was a mess. As soon as the Manhattan newsie Sprint appeared with the news that Nuala had been hurt, he immediately began to blame himself. He never should have left her alone to go get Spot. Maybe if he had taken her with him, none of this would have happened. He went over to Jack and looked at Nuala, even though he did not want to. Her face was busted up, and numerous cuts were on her face and arms. He slid his suspenders off his shoulders and removed his own plaid button up shirt, engulfing her small form in in, leaving him in his own dingy Henley. But he did not care; all he wanted was for her to be alright. Gingerly he took her small form from Jack and cradled her in his own arms, tears forming in his eyes as he walked down the dark streets to the warehouse.

Finally there, Nuala was carried up to the girls room and gently placed on her bed.

"Spot, we'se need ta talk." Jack said as he led Spot out of the room. Closing the door behind him leaving Aoife and Ryder to take care of Nuala Spot turned to Jack.

"So what happened Jack."

"Nothin' good Spot. Me n my boys found er in an alley near da bridge. Besides being bruised and bloody, er shirt looked like it was ripped offa' er, and her skirt was up around er waist." Jack paused to think about what he was about to tell Spot.

"Well" Spot said impatiently. "Jack, tell me what happened." Spot demanded, even though he had a pretty good idea of what happened to his sister that night.

"Spot, I'se think Nuala was raped."

Spot's heart stopped."Naw," He tried to make sense of it all, "Naw that ain't true."

He wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand and tried to slow down his breathing as tears formed in his cloudy grey eyes.

"Who did it?" he asked Jack. "Tell me so I'se can blow their lousy no-good brains out!" Spot yelled.

"Spot I'se don't know's who dun it. We'se found er alone."

"I'se know who did it. It was dose rotten bastards from Queens, I'se is shouar of it!" Spot opened the door to his sister and Aoife's room and stormed inside, angry beyond all reasons. He waked over to the bed and stopped short. He turned to Aoife and Ryder and politely asked them to leave. Respectfully they obeyed joining Jack outside in the hallway, allowing Spot to have some time with his sister.

He turned around hardly able to look at Nuala's bruised, beat and violated form. He wanted this to be a dream, hoped it was a dream...no one deserved this, especially not his sister, his sweet innocent sister. He gazed at her once more; the bruises that spotted her pale skin were dark and prominent. Sweat thinly coated her entire body, her slender frame trembled, and her breath was short and thin.

"C'mon, sweetheart, wakeup." Spot pleaded as he held his sister's cold clammy hand in his. "I'se need you'se ta wake up." He pleaded for another few minutes before he felt Nuala stir on the bed she was lying on.

She moaned and whimpered, mumbling something incoherently as the memories of earlier that night flooded her mind. Her sharp cry suddenly filled throughout the room, as she tried to pull her hand from his.

"Nuala!" He half-yelled, half-cried her name, as he rubbed small circles on her hands.

Her eyes snapped open, but she took a moment to register where she was. She was not lying on a cold damp stone floor she was a soft bed. Ad then she remembered, faintly being lifted into the arms of one Jack Kelly. Breathing hard she looked from her hands to the eyes of the person holding them. Ignoring all the pain in her body, she say up from the mattress and flung her arms around her brother, her tears creating a damp spot on his shoulder. Sweat covered her forehead, matting down brown curls to her face. Spot shushed her, stroking her hair comfortingly as she continued to sob.

He pulled her closer. "Feicfidh tú a bheith ceart go leor." You'll be okay. He repeated in their language gently stroking her hair holding her close to him protecting her from anything that could harm her. He kissed the top of her head gently so as not to agitate any of her injuries. "I promise, you's is gonna be just fine. I'se won't let anything happen you you'se again. I promise. You'se is gonna be fine" He whispered to her.

Jack felt tears forming in his own eyes . He didn't want to ask her, bu he knew he had to. He had to find out who did this to his little sister so he could give them a soakin' so bad, it might just kill them, but for now he focused on trying to comfort his broken sister. "Hey, shh, listen to me … we're gonna get 'em, ok? We're gonna find 'em, but first, I'se need ya to tell me, who dey were. Can you'se do dat foar me?" He sighed, "Do you rememba' anythin' at all?"

"Everything." She gasped nodded into his shoulder. "I remember everything."

Outside the room Ryder and Aoife sat silent, different ideas going through their heads. Ryder was thinking of all the ways he could personally get back at the bastards who did this to her, Aoife was thinking of the secrets she had tried so hard to forget.

"How could this happen?" she wondered aloud. "How could someone possibly do this to someone?"

"The world is full a' sick people out dere. I'll neva understand."

But before Aoife could respond, they both heard a bang coming from inside the girl's room followed by a muffled shout, and they both quickly got up off the floor and raced inside. The saw Nuala on the bed her legs folded up to her chin crying into her knees, and Spot on the opposite side of the room, his hand was clenched into a fist and Ryder and Aoife both noticed a hole in the wall.

"It was Queens." He said tears going down his cheek. "That damn bastard Blade touched my sister; put his filthy God-dammed hands on her. He just made dis personal, if it's a war he wants, it's a war he's gonna get."

"Spot please, you're scaring her." Aoife said as she walked over to the bed and started to rub circles on the girls back.

"I'm sorry."

"Liam, come on, let Aoife get her rest. You need it too." Aoife said getting up and walking into the hallway.

"Ryder." Spot said. "I'se want you ta watch her. And do a good god-dammed job dis time. Do not leave dad room, and do not let her out of ya sight." He said before slipping out of the room.

Nuala had slid back down lying on her back on the mattress, too tired to sit up anymore. But her tears did not stop.

"It's okay Star. You'se is gonna be okay." He said as her tried to comfort her.

She shook her head, and sniffled. "No, I'm not." She sniffled again, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. "I … I'm not strong enough. I don't even feel like me anymore. Ryder I feel, dirty" Embarrassed and ashamed, Nuala closed her eyes, and tried to roll over to her side to cover her face in an attempt to conceal her tears from Ryder, however the pain of her bruised ribs and stomach prevented her from doing so. It killed him to see her like this. She looked so … small, so defenseless, two things that she never was. Ryder wasn't used to seeing her look like that. Nuala was usually so confident and witty, and funny. And yet, right now as Ryder looked at her tiny bruised for on the bed, he didn't see any of that. He hardly saw Nuala at all. The woman that lay before him was frail, and helpless. No, this was not the Starlight he knew and loved.

Her eyes opened briefly, and she gazed at Ryder, noticing tears forming in his eyes. "I-I'm … s-sorry." She croaked. Ryder sat there stunned, his body too in shock to react to her apology. "P-please … stay." She breathed, looking up at him with her large hazel doe eyes.

"I ain't goin' nowhere." He said. After a moment, he leaned forward and kissed her forehead "I promise." While he was at her level, she took the opportunity to wrap her arms around his neck and allowed him to pull her up. And then he noticed, her body was still trembling, and he could not dismiss the fact that she was trying so desperately to hold onto him, but didn't quite have the strength on her own so he wrapped his arms around her waist as gently as he could while still supporting her up.

Nuala curled up against him, a soft sob escaping her lips. "I-it's … my … fault." She whimpered.

He pulled her closer to him, his heart sinking. "Oh Starlight," He choked out, "Dat ain't true! Don't think like dat!" he lightly scolded her.

"But it is!" She moaned, "I … should … h-have … stopped them."

"Dere wasn't nothin' you'se coulda done, and ya know it! You listen here, Nuala, this is not your fault, and there ain't a person in this world who thinks it is!"

"D-don't you?"

He tensed. "I …" He paused, "No. No, 'course I'se don't! And besides, if it's anyone's fault…it's mine."

"What do you mean?" Nuala asked slightly pulling away. Seeing this gesture, Ryder slowly and carefully lowered Nuala back onto the mattress.

"Star, you'se was drinkin at da party and I left you'se alone to find Spot, and dat's when one of Blades boys must a' taken you'se. Ya see, it's my fault, I'se should'a been watchin youse. Dis is my fault." He finished hanging his head down in shame, until it was being lifted by a small hand with a few cuts on it. He gazed once again into Nuala's eyes and truly admired how beautiful they were, how beautiful she was, even if her lip was split and had a black eye.

"Stay with me?" she asked.

"Yeah Nuala. I'll stay with you."

And he did even after she had finally fallen asleep; he still continued to trace her hand with his, fulfilling his promise to Spot about watching her. He would never let her out of his sight again.

In the room next door, Spot and Aoife lay next to each other in bed. Spot was scared for Aoife's own safety and insisted that she spend the next couple of days in his bed. (And not in a romantic way of course) But sleep would not grace her that night. Spot was already sleeping soundless, as Aoife looked at him. She studied his face, and realized that he boy she had grown up with, was not longer a boy, but a man, a leader. She looked at the lines of his face, the way his blond hair fell in his closed eyes and the way his chest rose and fell at a slow steady pace. He was handsome Aoife concluded, and to this point she owed him everything. Soon her own eyelids began to become heavy and eventually they shut sending Aoife into the black oblivion on sleep. But her peace was short lasted.

Old memories plagued her dreams, turning them into realistic nightmares. She saw him coming at her just after he had smashed his empty bottle of whiskey on the wall causing it to shatter into a million pieced on the floor. Her brother Ragnall had stood in front of her pushing her behind him to protect her from their fathers drunken rage, but it didn't do her much good for with one swing Ragnall was knocked out his body sprawled on the ground. Aoife was terrified, she was 9 years old, and it was about a week after Liam and Nuala went missing. The first slap came as a surprise to little Aoife and before she knew it, she was on the ground next to her brother. Her father advanced on her and roamed his hand on her sides and legs.

"Aoife wake up!"

The shouts of her father quickly morphed onto the worrying shouts of Liam as he desperately tried to wake her.

Suddenly her eyes snapped open and a layer of sweat coated her forehead as her breathing became heavy and she sighed in relief, realizing that it was only a dream.

"Aoif, what's wrong. What happned?"

"I'm fine Liam, just a bad dream."

"Aoif, that was more dan just a bad dream. You'se was flailin you'ar arms everywhere an you was shoutin for someone to spot. Dat's not a normal nightare.''

"Really, Liam, It was nothing." Aoife really wasn't in the mood, or ready for that matter to tell Liam of all the horrible things her father had put her through.

"You'se have always been a bad liar Aoife."

Aoife was frustrated that Liam could not let the matter go, so she gave up and decided to tell him her story. So she sat up in bed and her followed her example.

"Okay, fine Liam you want to know what I was dreaming about? I'll tell you. After your parents died, and you and Nuala left, my father changed. Remember when we first ran into you a week ago, and I told you that my father had changed?''

Lam nodded his head

"Well, he did, but I didn't tell you everything. He would get physical. Every day he would hit Ragnall and I, and he would, touch me, in places a young girl shouldn't be touched. And I was too scared, too scared to do anything. I didn't go to the authorities, I just let it happen, and when Ragnall tried to stop him, he would just get best, and look where that got him." Aoife said tears forming in her eyes.

"Is what happned to Nuala triggering these memories?" Lam asked curious is Aoife went through the same thing his sister did.

"Maybe, I don't know. Nuala had it much worse than I. my situation is nothing next to Nuala's." Aoife said answering Lam's question.

"Don't say that Aoife." Liam said wrapping an arm around her. "No woman should ever have ta go through dat.

"I was so scared Liam." Aoife admitted. Liam now took both of his ars and wraped the wround her, engulfing her in a tight hug. "I was afraid I was going to-to end up like Ragnall. And so that's why I left. And then the day I got here, and you came-"and suddenly Aoife was feeling a sensation she had never felt before. She felt a passion for the boy lying next to her. Ever since that day he saved her, Aoife had admired the young man that Liam had become. Ever since they were little and had found their secret spot, Aoife and spot had a bond that nothing could separate, and now at that moment, Aoife wanted to secure that bond, so she pulled away and looked Liam straight in his stormy eyes.

"Liam, I-"

But before she could finish the sentence, their lips were touching in a soft connection and they pulled apart gazing into each other's eyes.

"Grá dom, Liam"

" M abanennam mo chroi a thabharit duit"

A/N well phew that was chapert 10. I hope all of you guys liked it! I don't know when ch 11 is sgoing to be up because I have a crazy schedule full of senior projects, dance shows and planning a trip to Florida in 2 weeks. So yeah, I love all the nice reviews I' getting so please send some more! I lov them! Don't forget to review/favorite and follow please! Oh and Grá dom means "Love me" and mabanennam chroi mo thabharit duit means "my heart belongs to you".